Starred Reviews for Monika Kim, Sara Nović, Brooke Averick, Anna Konkle, and More!

“Fans of terrifying horror stories filled with violence and women’s anger, such as Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado or My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, will devour this book.”
—Library Journal, starred review

“Goodman delivers a bighearted linked story collection about a family’s travails…Each story succeeds on its own; taken together, they reveal how a family’s bonds are shaped and tested by tradition as well as by each individual’s recurring patterns. In their messiness and constant striving for harmony, the Rubensteins are wholly relatable. This is one to treasure.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Like an exquisitely baked apple cake, Goodman’s delicious and deeply perceptive novel is something to savor.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Astute, incisive, and soulfully witty, Goodman circulates among her irresistible characters to that each intriguing point of view reveals another facet of their tumultuous family dynamic.” —Booklist, starred review

“An affirming novel catering to all the anxious romantics out there…Averick’s writing is consistently funny and sharp, balancing comedy with emotional honesty…the book is an irresistibly fun ride that also delivers a compassionate exploration of anxiety and the courage and self-acceptance needed to move through it.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Debut author Paxson playfully toys with tropes in this heartening and hilarious romantasy set in the Regency England–esque land of Eldmere… The ensuing comedy of errors is almost Shakespearian in scope, with the humor only enhancing Paxson’s thoughtful meditation on Hilde’s desperate circumstances and the lengths she will go to for those she loves.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A whimsical, densely plotted queer fantasy deconstruction, flavored with sci-fi, romance, and horror. Recommended for fans of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, or Diana Wynne Jones.” —Library Journal, starred review

“Virginia is a fascinating narrator… The Jills is a well-researched and intimate look behind the curtain of professional cheerleading.”
—BookPage, starred review

“A thrilling mystery that offers an immersive view into the lives of NFL cheerleaders… Ginny narrates in an appealing voice that is both strong-willed and vulnerable… It’s the best novel about cheerleaders since Megan Abbot’s Dare Me.”  —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“(An) irresistible rags-to-riches-to-trauma tale… (Pataki) riffs on the real-life Evelyn Nesbit and the notorious 1906 murder of architect Stanford White by her railroad magnate husband, Harry Kendall Thaw… But beneath her woes and hard-earned glamour in an era when women had no rights and few options, Evelyn is strong, courageous, and determined. Scintillating with pinpoint period details and told from Evelyn’s perspective, Pataki’s eventful, suspenseful, turn-of-the-twentieth-century novel is an entrancing progression of shocks and adaptations, suffering and liberation.” —Booklist, starred review

“Lucid and rigorously researched, Nović’s memoir offers a powerful critique of the systems that have marginalized deaf Americans across the decades. It’s a sobering must-read.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“A powerful and poignant account of learning to cherish differences . . . For anyone who has felt the need to hide their true self, who has struggled with the demands of parenting or found themselves underestimated, Mother Tongue looks at loss and adversity and what makes moving forward possible.” —Booklist, starred review

The media, he [Clark] explains, was built to cater to this appetite for controversy, and was rampant with disinformation. Clark astutely notes that, much like with today’s moral panics, concern about gender conformity seemed to be the panic’s prime motivator. (Ebel himself was described by one detractor as “a hermaphrodite.”) This meticulously researched history astonishes in its timeliness.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Funny and heartbreaking…Konkle walks a tonal tightrope, blending the cringe comedy that made Pen15 a runaway hit with a more serious-minded humanity. Elegant prose, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and a tender heart make this a delight even for readers unfamiliar with Konkle’s TV work.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“…Haygood’s vibrant, astute, and moving look at one front in the ongoing struggle to live up to our nation’s founding declarations reverberates with particular significance as we approach America’s 250th anniversary.” —Booklist, starred review

“…By way of explanation, he traces the origins of “modern investor-owned firms” back to “armed trading corporations” like the Dutch East India Company, which had displaced “older merchant networks… of the Indo-Islamic world” that had put limits on speculation as unethical. With the colonial expansion of Europe, such limits were disregarded. Today, rampant speculation is seen as natural, with the rich living on “unearned income” that “those coming later” are expected to pay. Ultimately, it is time itself that has been “colonized,” Mitchell chillingly explains. He chases his theme across centuries and around the globe, along the way emphasizing the most drastic and global consequence of capital’s theft from the future: climate catastrophe. This bracing and original analysis demands a reorientation of many received wisdoms.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“This deeply affecting account…explores the largely forgotten history of the Bund…(which) considered Zionism a ‘submission’ to antisemitism…(and) ‘[fought] for freedom and dignity in the place where they lived’…Writing with lyricism and great depth of feeling, Crabapple movingly presents the principled Bund, decimated by the Holocaust and sidelined postwar by Soviet socialism on one side and Zionism on the other…Readers will be rapt.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review